Written Answers Tuesday 21 April 2009

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to deal with specific alcohol products that have been identified as problematic in relation to offending behaviour and that will not be affected by its proposed minimum pricing policy.

Kenny MacAskill: There is strong evidence that a minimum price per unit of alcohol can make a significant contribution to reducing excessive alcohol consumption and the harm caused by such consumption. Alcohol has become nearly 70% more affordable in Scotland since 1980 and consumption has increased by almost 19% over the same period.

  We are aware that some of those involved in offending behaviour may choose alcoholic drinks that are already likely to be above any minimum price we might set. But to target particular drinks would be likely to be both illegal and lead to the consumption of substitute products.

  Our Framework for Action on Alcohol (Bib. number 47805) makes clear a package of measures are required to change Scotland’s relationship with alcohol. Actions which are specifically aimed at reducing and addressing alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and offending include: investment in diversionary activities for children and young people; tackling alcohol-related violence directly through the Safer Streets campaign, working with the Violence Reduction Unit to tackle gang-related violence in Glasgow, reviewing the identification and treatment of offenders with alcohol problems and research into the effectiveness of alcohol brief interventions for offenders.

Alcohol Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the findings in The nature and extent of illegal drug and alcohol-related litter in a Scottish social housing community: A photographic investigation by Alasdair J M Forsyth and Neil Davidson and what action it intends to take.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned at the finding in The nature and extent of illegal drug and alcohol-related litter in a Scottish social housing community: A photographic investigation by Alasdair J M Forsyth and Neil Davidson that 54% of all discarded glassware was Buckfast tonic wine bottles or their remains and what action it intends to take.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has not yet seen the study to which the member refers and understands that it has not yet been published, so I am unable to comment on the specifics.

  Local authorities have primary responsibility for dealing with litter in their local area and their designated officers, along with the police, have powers to deal with those who litter.

  However, the Scottish Government recognises that alcohol and illegal drug use can contribute to antisocial behaviour, including littering, and that this in turn can undermine the safety and wellbeing of our communities. We are taking action on a number of fronts - including through our Framework for Action on Alcohol, our Road to Recovery drugs strategy and Promoting Positive Outcomes: Working Together to Tackle Antisocial Behaviour in Scotland – in order to address the underlying attitudes and behaviours which contribute to these problems.

Alcohol Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) under 15, (b) 15 to 18, (c) 19 to 21 and (d) over 21 were admitted to hospitals in the Lothians to receive treatment for excess alcohol consumption in 2007-08.

Shona Robison: Table 1 shows the provisional number of patients discharged from general acute hospitals with an alcohol-related diagnosis in 2007-08 by the specified age groups in the Lothian NHS board area.

  Table 2 shows the provisional number of patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals and mental illness units with an alcohol-related diagnosis in 2006-07 by the specified age groups in the Lothian NHS board area. 2006-07 is the year for which the most up to date figures are available.

  Table 1: The number of patients from General Acute Hospitals in NHS Lothian with an Alcohol-Related Diagnosis by age, 2007-08:

  

 Age Group
 2007-08


 Under 15 yrs
 31


 15 - 18 yrs
 229


 19 - 21 yrs
 247


 22 yrs and over
 3,786


 Total
 4,293



  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01), date 16 April 2009.

  Table 2: The number of patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals and mental illness units in NHS Lothian with an alcohol-related diagnosis by age group, 2006-07:

  

 Age Group
 2006-07


 Under 15 yrs
 -


 15 - 18 yrs
 6


 19 - 21 yrs
 5


 22 yrs and over
 588


 Total
 599



  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR04), date 16 April 2009.

  Note: Information Services Division (ISD) have recently held an in-depth review of its core alcohol related code set. Therefore these figures may not be directly comparable with previously published figures.

Antisocial Behaviour

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in the Lothians region in each year since 2004, broken down by local authority area.

Fergus Ewing: The information requested (from October 2004 to March 2008) can be found at www.antisocialbehaviourscotland.com .

  The Antisocial Behaviour Framework Promoting Positive Outcomes: Working Together to Prevent Antisocial Behaviour In Scotland (Bib. number 47915) was launched on 19 March 2009 and commits the Scottish Government, COSLA and other national partners to developing a new framework for collating and reporting local data on tackling antisocial behaviour. This will replace the previous six monthly reporting regime and will bring together those data sets which best reflect local action to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Antisocial Behaviour

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it offers to members of the public when dealing with high hedge disputes.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has recently had a very productive meeting with Scothedge, an organisation which represents many of those affected by this issue in Scotland, and which can be contacted via http://www.pentlandhedge.colwat.com/ . We are now seeking to work with Scothedge and other parties to agree a way forward.

  Services provided by Community Safety Partnerships – such as mediation – can be very useful in dealing with a range of neighbour disputes, including those involving high hedges. Members of the public may also find it useful to contact Citizens Advice Bureaux or, should they be seeking legal advice, to contact their own solicitor.

Antisocial Behaviour

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21139 by Fergus Ewing on 4 March 2009, whether it proposes to legislate on the issue of high hedge disputes.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has recently had a very productive meeting with Scothedge, an organisation which represents many of those affected by this issue in Scotland, and which can be contacted via http://www.pentlandhedge.colwat.com/ . We are now seeking to work with Scothedge and other parties to agree a way forward.

Care Commission

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how long care service providers have to improve when their services are graded 1 (unsatisfactory) and 2 (weak) by the Care Commission.

Shona Robison: The Care Commission grades services on a six-point scale against four themes: quality of care and support, quality of environment, quality of staffing and quality of management and leadership. It does not award an overall grade for the care service.

  Any care service which receives a grade below 3 (adequate) in any theme will be subject to a formal requirement to improve. The timescale for this improvement will take into account practicalities such as refurbishment of premises, organising further training or engaging additional staff. Where improvement is essential to service users’ safety, requirements may be made to take immediate effect.

Care Commission

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what care service providers have been closed as a result of failing to meet care standards following an inspection by the Care Commission in each of the last four years.

Shona Robison: This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

  The Care Commission’s role is to regulate for improvement. Where a care service is not providing care which meets the requirements set out in the National Care Standards, the Care Commission works with the provider to ensure that improvements are made. Closure of any care service with the consequent disruption to service users is a last resort.

  The Care Commission’s overarching aim is to regulate for improvement in the quality of care in Scotland. It therefore prefers to work with service providers to improve poor quality care services rather than to close them, with the consequent disruption to the lives of those who use the services.

  The Care Commission can provide information about care home registrations which have been cancelled. The contact details for the Care Commission are:

  Ms Jacquie Roberts Chief Executive Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care Compass House 11 Riverside Drive DUNDEE DD1 4NY T: 01382 207100

  E: Jacquie.roberts@carecommission.com.

Central Heating Programme

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new applications have been received for a free central heating system in the Glasgow postcode area in each month since and including January 2008 for which information is available and how many of these have been considered eligible.

Alex Neil: The number of applications received for the central heating programme and the number accepted, subject to survey, in the G postcode area since January 2008, is shown in the following table:

  

 Month
Applications Received
Applications Accepted 
(Subject to Survey)


 January 2008
 616
 568


 February 2008
 639
 509


 March 2008
 505
 455


 April 2008
 545
 469


 May 2008
 529
 384


 June 2008
 263
 71


 July 2008
 249
 104


 August 2008
 167
 79


 September 2008
 233
 82


 October 2008
 369
 295


 November 2008
 749
 531


 December 2008
 527
 420


 January 2009
 592
 426


 February 2009
 911
 654


 March 2009
 1,182
 973


 Total
 8,076
 6,020

Central Heating Programme

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications it has refused in relation to its central heating programme in the Glasgow postcode area in each month since 1 January 2008.

Alex Neil: The number of applications to the central heating programme not taken forward to survey stage since January 2008 is shown in the following table:

  Applications not taken Forward to Survey

  

 Month
 


 January 2008
 48


 February 2008
 130


 March 2008
 50


 April 2008
 76


 May 2008
 145


 June 2008
 192


 July 2008
 145


 August 2008
 88


 September 2008
 151


 October 2008
 74


 November 2008
 218


 December 2008
 107


 January 2009
 166


 February 2009
 257


 March 2009
 209


 Total
 2,056

Charities

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the running costs of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator have been in each year since 2005.

Fergus Ewing: The information requested is given in the Annual Report and Accounts of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

  The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2005 - Bib. number 38375 at page 8.

  The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2006 - Bib. number 41309 at page 16.

  The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2007 - Bib. number 43531 at page 18.

  The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2008 - Bib. number 46507 at page 20.

  Copies are also available on the OSCR website (www.oscr.org.uk).

Children’s Hearings

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what training children’s panel members receive in understanding and responding to people with speech and language difficulties.

Adam Ingram: All children’s panel members are provided with high-quality pre-service and in-service training, which covers all aspects of the children’s hearings system and their role within it. This is supplemented by a comprehensive training resource manual provided to all panel members. Good communication skills are essential for panel members and they are provided with advice on speech and language – stressing the importance of effective communication in hearings and discussing possible barriers to this.

  The training manual recognises that children at hearings, or adults who come with them, might have problems with communication and suggests ways to deal with such situations. Measures include obtaining as much information as possible beforehand about any communication difficulties and considering the use of speech and language therapists, or interpreters, at hearings where appropriate. Such issues are also dealt with in on-going training of panel members. Effective communication skills represent one of the core elements of the key competences required of panel members when sitting on children’s hearings.

Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many exemptions have been granted to public processions under section 62 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 since 2007; to which organisations, and on what dates.

Kenny MacAskill: Centrally held information, provided in response to the Review of Marches and Parades in Scotland: Questionnaire for Local Authorities, June 2008, indicates that between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, 36 processions were granted exemptions under section 62(4) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. Only five of the organisations involved were specified, these were; Dyce Rotary Club, The Royal British Legion, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen University Officers Training Corps, and The Motorcycle Action Group.

  No exemptions have been made by the Scottish ministers under section 62(11B)(b) of the 1982 act.

Civil Service Relocation

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service jobs have been relocated to each city in each year since 2004.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-4401 on 26 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  The Scottish Government’s relocation policy was launched on 28 January 2008 in conjunction with the report on the review of asset management. The relocation policy can be accessed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/govt-locations/location-policy/asset-management.

  Achieving efficiency and best practice asset management are the key drivers of the new policy and within that context there are undoubtedly opportunities to be realised to recognise the benefits that relocating can bring to different parts of the country.

Climate Change

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the head of the European Environment Agency that tougher targets are needed before the end of this year to avert catastrophic climate change.

Stewart Stevenson: If dangerous climate change is to be averted it is imperative that ambitious commitments and actions to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions are agreed at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Copenhagen in December.

  The 80% emissions reduction target in our world-leading Climate Change Bill is consistent with the best available scientific advice on the level of global reductions required to avoid dangerous climate change.

Communities

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to promote closer working and engagement between safer neighbourhood and community police teams and young people.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government promotes closer working and engagement between safer neighbourhood and community police teams and young people. We encourage police involvement with the CashBack for Communities programme, which offers diversionary activities for young people. We also support, through the Violence Reduction Unit, the training and IT facilities for campus police officers based in schools. Each police force also has a youth engagement strategy that sets out how it works with young people locally.

Crime

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes were committed by people under 18 in 2008 and of these how many were committed by (a) first-time and (b) repeat offenders and how many of the repeat offenders committed (i) two, (ii) three, (iii) four, (iv) five to 10 and (v) more than 10 crimes.

Kenny MacAskill: This information has been taken from the Scottish Government’s Court Proceedings database and does not include young people who have been referred to the reporter.

  In 2006-07, the latest year for which data is available, there were 8,838 instances of people under 18 who were convicted of crimes/offences in Scottish courts. As some people were convicted on more than one occasion in 2006-07, this equated to 5,153 individual people.

  Three thousand, one hundred and eighty-six of these individuals had not been convicted of any previous crime/offence in the period back to 1 April 1997, leaving 1,967 people who had committed at least one other crime/offence prior to their most recent one. Among the repeat offenders, the numbers convicted of two, three, four, five to ten and over 10 crimes/offences in the period back to 1 April 1997 were, respectively, 982, 453, 217, 312 and three.

  Data for 2007-08 will be available from 28 April 2009.

Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19628 by Kenny MacAskill on 20 January 2009, whether the data for 2007-08 are available and, if so, whether it will now provide that information.

Kenny MacAskill: The court proceedings data for 2007-08 is being published on 28 April 2009. I will write to the member with the required information as soon as possible after that date. A copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliamentary Information Centre (Bib. number 47924). The publication of this data is governed by the National Statistics Code of Practice.

Drug Misuse

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21643 by Adam Ingram on 16 March 2009, how it calculated the figure of 40-60,000 children who may be affected by parental drug misuse.

Adam Ingram: Estimates for numbers of children who may be affected by parental drug misuse published in the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report Hidden Harm (2003) were based on work carried out by Glasgow University’s Centre for Drug Misuse Research. This work used a number of data sources to calculate the estimate.

  Firstly, the number of problem drug users in the population was estimated using data from the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD), police and social enquiry reports; then the proportion of problem drug users with children was estimated based on Drug Outcomes Research in Scotland and SDMD data. This included numbers of children and whether they lived with individual respondents. Two separate figures were created (for both male and female problem drug users) and as these separate figures could not be added together due to a risk of double counting, an upper and lower estimate was created, resulting in the Hidden Harm figures.

  The NHS Information Services Division report Estimating National and Local Prevalence of Problematic Drug Misuse is due to be published in summer 2009; further work to determine the numbers of children affected by parental drug misuse will follow.

Drug Misuse

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21643 by Adam Ingram on 16 March 2009, how it calculated the figure of 10-20,000 children who may be living with at least one parent with a drug misuse problem.

Adam Ingram: Estimates for numbers of children who may be living with at least one parent with a drug misuse problem in the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report Hidden Harm (2003) were based on work carried out by Glasgow University’s Centre for Drug Misuse Research. This work used a number of data sources to calculate the estimate.

  Figures for both male and female problem drug users living with dependent children in the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) were combined with figures for men and women living with at least one dependent child in Drug Outcomes Research in Scotland (DORIS). These figures were then multiplied by the average number of children living with their mother and their father in DORIS. Two separate figures were created (for children living with both male and female problem drug users) and as these separate figures could not be added together because of a risk of double counting, an upper and lower estimate was created, resulting in the Hidden Harm figures.

  The NHS Information Services Division report Estimating National and Local Prevalence of Problematic Drug Misuse is due to be published in summer 2009; further work to determine the numbers of children affected by parental drug misuse will follow.

Drug Misuse

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21643 by Adam Ingram on 16 March 2009, what groups of children form the proportion of the 40-60,000 who may be affected by parental drug misuse who are not among the 10-20,000 children who may be living with at least one parent with a drug misuse problem.

Adam Ingram: Where children are not living with a parent with a drug misuse problem – for instance, because they are being looked after by a grandparent or other kinship carer, are in foster care or otherwise being looked after by their local authority – they are not recorded in the categories of "living with dependent children" (Scottish Drug Misuse Database) or "living with at least one dependent child" (Drug Outcomes Research in Scotland). However, their parents’ substance misuse will still affect their care and quality of life, so they fall into the category of children affected by parental substance misuse.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21643 by Adam Ingram on 16 March 2009, what the source and dates are of the estimates provided.

Adam Ingram: Estimates for the numbers of children in Scotland who may be affected by parental drug misuse were published in the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report Hidden Harm (2003).

  The estimate for children who may be affected by parental alcohol misuse are derived using alcohol consumption prevalence data from the Scottish Health Survey 2003 and population estimates from the General Register Office for Scotland.

  "Problematic drinking" is defined as two or more positive responses on the CAGE questionnaire. The CAGE questionnaire is a validated screening tool commonly used to measure potential problematic drinking patterns, and refers to the initials of key words embedded in four questions around desire to cut down drinking, annoyance at criticism, guilt at levels of drinking and morning alcohol consumption as an eye-opener.

  The NHS Information Services Division report Estimating National and Local Prevalence of Problematic Drug Misuse is due to be published in summer 2009; further work to determine the numbers of children affected by parental drug misuse will follow. We are currently working on options to update figures for children affected by parental alcohol misuse.

Education

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much per hour each local authority charges for after-school care.

Adam Ingram: This is a matter for local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

Environment

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the development of electric vehicles.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the development of low-carbon vehicles.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the uptake of electric vehicles.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the uptake of low-carbon vehicles.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the use of electric vehicles.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has in place to promote the use of low-carbon vehicles.

Stewart Stevenson: In recent months, the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism and I have visited key Scottish manufacturers of low emission vehicles, electric vehicle batteries and other alternative fuels.

  We welcome the recent announcement by the Technology Strategy Board of the success of Allied Mobility and its consortium partners in securing £1.8 million to trial electric vehicles in Glasgow, and congratulate all involved. We believe that Scotland has great potential to take advantage of the commercial opportunities for job and wealth creation within the global market for low carbon vehicles, and we will continue to do all that we can to support this industry.

  Our detailed policy is being developed and will informed by evidence gathered from a number of sources. We will launch our consultation at a key stakeholder conference taking place on 29 June at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

  Targeted media and marketing campaigns are also promoting the benefits of more sustainable and active transport - for example, eco-driving, cycling and walking - while the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places transport demonstration projects underway across Scotland will provide best practice evidence of sustainable travel planning in towns and communities.

Equalities

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that local authorities should offer financial support to local organisations that promote and support equality and diversity.

Alex Neil: Through the concordat, we have made clear that it is for councils to decide how best to allocate their funding to meet agreed national and local outcomes. They are accountable for their funding decisions. It is for councils to decide how they meet the public sector equality duties. They may fund local organisations that promote and support equality and diversity or use other methods.

  The single outcome agreements (SOA) reflect the priorities and agreed outcomes for each council and include relevant supporting indicators and targets. Copies of all 32 SOAs which were agreed with local authorities on 30 June 2008 can be obtained via the Improvement Service website by following the following link. Community Planning Partners will aim to publish revised single outcome agreements for 2009-10 at the beginning of June.

  http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,43/task,cat_view/gid,561/.

Health

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of any confusion and lack of consistency among local authorities regarding the interpretation of guidance on ordinary residence, whether it will consider reviewing this guidance.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is currently revising the guidance on Ordinary Residence. Draft guidance was published on 22 October 2008 as part of a public consultation which ran until 19 January 2009. The consultation, including the draft revised guidance, can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/10/22130010/0.

  The Scottish Government is currently considering the responses to the consultation and aims to publish revised guidance later this year.

Homelessness

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people registered as homeless in (a) Inverclyde and (b) East Dunbartonshire in the last quarter for which information is available.

Alex Neil: The information requested is available from table 11 of the quarterly time series reference tables published on the Scottish Government website on 17 March 2009. The tables can be accessed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/QtrlyRefTablesMarch2009.

Housing

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence it has exchanged with the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the operation of houses in multiple occupation legislation with regard to holiday lets.

Alex Neil: The City of Edinburgh Council has confirmed that it does not consider antisocial behaviour amongst tenants of holiday lets to be a widespread problem in the city and that it considers existing powers to tackle noise nuisance sufficient for dealing with disturbances caused by occupants of holiday lets.

  However, the Scottish Government is aware of the council’s concerns that the definition of an HMO (house in multiple occupation) may not be sufficiently closely drawn and that in some cases landlords may be evading HMO licensing requirements by claiming that properties are being let on a short-term basis, and that residents have principal residences elsewhere.

  We will be considering the options for implementing the HMO provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 later this year. The issue of short-term lets and what types of accommodation require to be licensed under those provisions will be part of our discussions with stakeholders. However, the Scottish Government has no plans to extend HMO licensing to genuine holiday lets.

Housing

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how standards for rented accommodation should be enforced.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) was introduced in 2004 to give Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and Local Authorities a minimum standard to aim for in improving housing stock. All social landlords are expected to produce Standard Delivery Plans indicating how they will bring their properties up to the standard by 2015. From April 2008 the Scottish Housing Regulator is responsible, on behalf of the Scottish ministers, for monitoring landlords’ progress towards achieving the SHQS.

  Responsibility for enforcing standards in private rented accommodation lies with local authorities. Mandatory landlord registration and licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) set minimum standards for private rented housing and give local authorities a range of enforcement powers to tackle bad landlord practice. We would encourage all councils to use the full range of their powers to tackle the minority of landlords who can give the sector a poor reputation.

  From September 2007, the Housing Act (Scotland) 2006 gave tenants in most types of private rented accommodation the right to apply to the Private Rented Housing Panel (PRHP) where they feel that the landlord has not complied with the duty to ensure that the house meets the repairing standard. The PRHP has the power to make Repairing Standard Enforcement Orders, and ultimately rent relief orders, if mediation is not appropriate or fails. Under the 2006 Act councils also have powers to act earlier when a house is falling into poor condition.

Housing

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have benefited from the Low-cost Initiative for First-time Buyers housing scheme since its launch in October 2007.

Alex Neil: As at 31 March 2009, a total of 1,731 people have benefited from the Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) since its launch in October 2007.

Housing

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Housing Association Grant can be used to fund renewables when no other government funding is available.

Alex Neil: Housing Association Grant can be used to fund renewables in registered social landlord (RSL) projects which meet our published grant benchmarks or other published value for money criteria such as the New Indicatives Cost System.

  Otherwise we will expect RSLs to obtain additional funding contributions from partners, principally the Energy Saving Trust, who specialise in the energy efficiency sector and support innovative energy-saving approaches or technologies with grant schemes to complement investment in housing.

  Guidance on the New Indicative Costs System and HAG Subsidy Target Benchmark can be accessed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/guidancenotes/nic.

  http://www.scotland.gsi.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/guidancenotes/hign0903.

Housing

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will work with housing associations to ensure that care leavers are given appropriate priority in housing allocation.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government held a seminar on 1 April 2009, in partnership with the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum for local authorities to consider accommodation issues for care leavers. It is for local authorities to ensure that young people leaving care have appropriate accommodation as part of a package of support as they make the transition from care to adult living.

  Under Scottish housing legislation and guidance social landlords, including housing associations, are required to allocate their housing on an objective assessment of housing need. Within this legislative framework and existing guidance, landlords have discretion to develop their own allocation and letting policies in line with local priorities.

  Local authorities also have additional duties towards people leaving care under homelessness legislation. However, guidance makes clear that homelessness legislation should not be the main route for accessing accommodation for young people leaving care and emphasises the importance of relevant services working together with the young person to identify suitable housing.

  Following research into social housing allocations, the Scottish Government is undertaking a review of social housing allocations policy with the intention of providing new guidance to support social landlords to understand the requirements upon them and make use of the flexibility they have. To support the review, an advisory group made up of housing policy professionals, practitioners and tenant representatives has been established. Membership includes the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Chartered Institute of Housing (Scotland), COSLA, Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers, Shelter Scotland, the Scottish Housing Regulator and representatives from the regional network of registered tenant organisations. In developing new guidance, we will consider including further advice to social landlords to support them to understand and appropriately respond to the housing needs of care leavers.

Housing

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding Glasgow Housing Association has received in each year since 2003, broken down by type of funding.

Alex Neil: The funding received by Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) since 2003 is as follows:

  Glasgow Housing Association Funding by Type and Financial, Years 2002-03 to 2008-09.

  Paid to GHA

  

 
2002-03
  (£ Million)
2003-04
  (£ Million)
2004-05
  (£ Million)
2005-06
  (£ Million)
2006-07
  (£ Million)
2007-08
  (£ Million)
2008-09
  (£ Million)
Total
  (£ Million)


 GHA Repayable Grant
 48.138
 30.750
 31.500
 32.300
 33.100
 33.900
 34.800
 224.488


 GHA Efficiencies
 
 
 12.500
 12.500
 12.500
 12.500
 12.500
 62.500


 GHA Demolition
 
 3.977
 5.346
 7.220
 8.472
 11.011
 12.000
 48.026


 GHA Reprovisioning
 
 
 
 
 3.450
 5.885
 20.000
 29.335


 GHA Central Heating
 0.488
 2.995
 4.123
 4.800
 8.223
 
 
 20.629


 Wider Role
 
 
 
 
 0.061
 0.147
 0.391
 0.600


 New Housing Partnership
 0.039
 0.030
 0.032
 
 
 
 
 0.101


 Other Area Based Initiatives
 
 
 
 
 
 0.026
 
 0.026


 Programme Support
 
 
 
 0.042
 
 
 
 0.042


 Tenant Participation
 
 0.342
 
 
 
 
 
 0.342


 Scottish Secure Tenancies
 
 0.318
 
 
 
 
 
 0.318


 House Insurance Project
 
 
 0.035
 
 
 
 
 0.035


 Total
 48.665
 38.413
 53.536
 56.863
 65.807
 63.470
 79.691
 406.444

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the finding in Alcohol and Violence among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009) , published in January 2009, that 43.4% of prisoners who admitted to drinking alcohol before their current offence and could remember what they had been drinking had consumed Buckfast tonic wine, what its assessment is of this finding and what action it intends to take.

Kenny MacAskill: Whilst a significant number of the young offenders surveyed in the Alcohol and Violence among Young Offenders report indicated they drank Buckfast, a similar percentage reported drinking spirits (42.0%) and a significant number reported drinking beer (31.0%). The study provides no indication of volume of each type of alcohol drunk or in what combination. More worryingly the report highlights how alcohol misuse among young offenders has increased over the last 20 years, with those reporting they get "drunk daily" up from 7.3% in 1979 to 40.1% in 2007.

  That is why Scottish Government considers that effort needs to focus on reducing the amount of alcohol consumed, particularly by offenders, and its consequences rather than on targeting specific drinks which is likely to be both illegal and lead to the consumption of substitute products.

  Our Framework for Action (Bib. number 47805) outlines a robust and comprehensive package of measures to tackle alcohol misuse, including actions which are specifically aimed at reducing and addressing alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and offending. These include: investment in diversionary activities for children and young people; tackling alcohol-related violence directly through the Safer Streets campaign; working with the Violence Reduction Unit to tackle gang-related violence in Glasgow; reviewing the identification and treatment of offenders with alcohol problems, and research into the effectiveness of alcohol brief interventions for offenders.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the finding in Alcohol and Violence among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009) , published in January 2009, that 65.7% of prisoners questioned in 2007 stated that they had been in a gang while in the community, what its assessment is of this finding and what action it intends to take.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the finding in Alcohol and Violence among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009) , published in January 2009, that gang membership could act as a barrier to the cessation of violent offending, what its assessment is of this finding and what action it intends to take.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it is running to help gang members leave gangs and where.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is fully committed to reducing gang violence across Scotland and is taking direct action to tackle the problem. Last December, we announced a £1.6 million funding package to support the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) project, which is targeting 55 gangs and up to 700 young men in the east end of Glasgow. This groundbreaking project is delivering a mix of tough enforcement and intensive services to turn around young lives. We are also supporting a Scotland-wide initiative that is delivering a range of programmes and activities to up to 500 young men in an attempt to challenge their attitudes towards gang membership and change their behaviour. This work is being supported by visible and sustained police enforcement which is being co-ordinated by the national Violence Reduction Unit through its on-going anti-violence campaign, the latest phase of which has been targeting gang violence.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents where a glass bottle was used as a weapon were recorded in the last year, broken down by police force.

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Government does not hold individualised data on any crimes or offences recorded by the eight police forces in Scotland, and as such does not hold information on the nature of the crime or the circumstances that led to the crime being committed. As such it is not possible to identify how many incidents were recorded in the last year where a glass bottle was used as a weapon.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the scale of the problem of glass bottles being used as weapons.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to reduce the incidence of glass bottles being used as weapons.

Fergus Ewing: All violence, with or without a weapon, is unacceptable and that is why the Scottish Government is working in partnership with local authorities and the national Violence Reduction Unit to support initiatives – both in licensed premises and in the community - to tackle the problem. The new Licensing Act which will come fully into force on 1 September will give licensing boards more flexibility to introduce specific conditions on licensed premises, such as requiring the use of polycarbonate glass in premises with a history of disorder, and, in our communities, visible and sustained police enforcement continues to be coordinated by the national Violence Reduction Unit through its on-going anti-violence campaign, with much of the focus being on the prevention and detection of weapon carrying. More generally, it is crucial that we begin to educate young people about the dangers of carrying a weapon and that is exactly what our groundbreaking initiatives such as Medics Against Violence and No Knives Better Lives will begin to do.

Local Government Finance

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21685 by John Swinney on 17 March 2009, whether any local authority has exceeded its authorisation limit and operational boundary in relation to its external debt in the last five years.

John Swinney: This information has only been available since the introduction of the prudential code on 1 April 2004.

  The following table provides a breakdown of the recorded instances of local authorities exceeding either the operational boundary or the authorised limit at 31 March for each year:

  

 
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008


 Number of Councils exceeding their operational boundary
 0
 6
 3
 2


 Number of Councils exceeding their authorised limit
 0
 1
 1
 1



  cellpadding=2 width=100%

  Information for 31 March 2009 is not yet available.

  Under the prudential code temporary breaches of the operational boundary are considered unlikely to be significant unless they are regular or sustained. The code requires that breaches of the authorised limit should be referred to the decision making body within the council to determine whether it would be prudent to raise the limit or alternatively instigate procedures to ensure that the current limit is not breached.

Local Government Finance

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with South Ayrshire Council regarding its financial situation.

John Swinney: Discussions relating to local government finance issues are generally conducted through COSLA. However, I did visit South Ayrshire Council last July and discussed a range of issues as part of my 2008 summer tour programme.

Looked After Children

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to enable young people who have left care to return for short periods of support.

Adam Ingram: Under current legislation there are no restrictions on young people returning to care and this is one of the issues of good practice that we will discuss with the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum and local authorities.

Looked After Children

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland of Sweet 16? One Year On – Is Life Any Sweeter? , what plans it has to add registered social landlords to the list of those required to co-operate with local authorities in discharging their responsibilities towards children and young people.

Adam Ingram: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22337 on 20 April 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Looked After Children

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland of Sweet 16? One Year On – Is Life Any Sweeter? , what steps it is taking to ensure that local authorities fulfil their statutory duties in relation to young people leaving care.

Adam Ingram: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22339 on 20 April 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Looked After Children

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland of Sweet 16? One Year On – Is Life Any Sweeter? , what steps it is taking to monitor delivery of the recommendations in the report, Sweet 16? The Age of Leaving Care in Scotland .

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is working with COSLA and local authorities to address the issues faced by young people leaving care. On 1 April 2009 we held, in partnership with the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum, a seminar for local authorities to examine accommodation issues for care leavers.

Ministerial Engagements

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17820 by John Swinney on 27 November 2008, when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth expects to provide the information requested.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the letter issued on 21 April 2009. A copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47030).

Ministerial Meetings

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17901 by John Swinney on 27 November 2008, when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth expects to provide the information requested.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the letter issued on 21 April 2009. A copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47031).

Ministerial Meetings

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates the Minister for Children and Early Years has met the chief executive of the Social Work Inspection Agency since May 2007 and what topics were discussed at each meeting.

Adam Ingram: The Minister for Children and Early Years met formally with the Chief Executive of the Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) on 7 June 2007 to discuss current social work issues. The Minister also met formally with the Chief Executive and SWIA officials on 23 October 2007 and 2 April 2009 to discuss current social work issues.

  He also met SWIA’s Chief Executive with others at various meetings and events.

Ministerial Meetings

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates the Minister for Children and Early Years has met officials from the Social Work Inspection Agency other than the chief executive since May 2007 and what topics were discussed at each meeting.

Adam Ingram: The Minister for Children and Early Years met formally with officials from the Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) on 23 October 2007 and 2 April 2009 to discuss current social work issues. He also met SWIA officials with others at various meetings and events.

Ministerial Meetings

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what the dates the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has met officials from HM Inspectorate of Education other than HM Senior Chief Inspector of Education since May 2007 and what topics were discussed at each meeting.

Fiona Hyslop: I met with officials from HM Inspectorate of Education on 3 December 2008, 7 January 2009 and 5 February 2009 to discuss current educational issues and they have also been present at numerous wider meetings that have taken place periodically throughout the year.

NHS Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the issues arising from the Modernising Medical Careers programme.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme was a UK-wide initiative and was subject to an independent inquiry led by Professor Sir John Tooke in 2007. The inquiry report can be found at www.mmcinquiry.org.uk .

  Although many of the report’s recommendations were specifically directed at the UK Government and its handling of both UK-wide and England specific governance of MMC, the Scottish Government consulted on Sir John’s report in January 2008 and we sent a formal response on 27 June 2008. We agreed with Sir John’s recommendations about the governance of MMC and about developing a clearer understanding of the roles of doctors in contemporary healthcare teams. The issues behind those recommendations were being taken forward in Scotland before Sir John’s report was published and we already had robust and inclusive governance arrangements in place for both policy development and delivery in Scotland. We had also already launched a fundamental review of the shape of the medical workforce in Scotland, which is continuing. Any issues arising from MMC in Scotland are therefore being assessed and considered within the context of those governance mechanisms and of the on-going medical workforce review.

  Report: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/07144119/0.

  Response: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/26153637/letter.

Police

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what incentives are in place to help retain serving police officers.

Kenny MacAskill: The 30+ scheme, which enables police forces to retain officers who are seeking to retire with maximum pension benefits, is currently in place. The scheme is now being reviewed and when it is completed we will consider with stakeholders what is most appropriate for Scotland. In parallel with this we are examining other ways of improving the retention of valuable policing skills in the workforce.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the finding in Alcohol and Violence among Young Male Offenders in Scotland (1979-2009) , published in January 2009, that in 2007 the drug most cited by prisoners who blamed drugs for their current offence was diazepam, what its assessment is of this trend and what action it intends to take.

Fergus Ewing: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The research does not describe a trend in the use of diazepam. The Scottish Prison Service is taking action by publishing the findings of the report and featuring diazepam as an important drug of misuse in its education of prisoners.

Public Sector Staff

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many employees earn less than £7 per hour in each non-departmental public body within the Highlands and Islands parliamentary region and, in particular, (a) UHI, (b) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, (c) Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, (d) Highlands and Islands Enterprise, (e) Forestry Commission Scotland, (f) Scottish Natural Heritage, (g) Cairngorms National Park and (h) the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils.

John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.

  Contact details for Scottish non-departmental public body can be found on the government’s public bodies website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies.

Public Transport

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) drivers and other staff and (b) passengers were attacked on Lothian Buses vehicles in 2008.

Fergus Ewing: This information is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Government does not hold individualised data on any crimes or offences recorded by the eight police forces in Scotland, and as such does not hold information on the victims of crimes or the location at which the crime took place. As such it is not possible to identify how many people were attacked on Lothian Buses in 2008.

Rail Network

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it acknowledges that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport considers that the opening of a direct Ayr to Edinburgh rail service, as contained in the Glasgow Crossrail proposals, would result in an additional 93 million rail passenger kilometres every year and what evidence the Scottish Executive has that its alternative proposals for rail in Glasgow, as set out in the Strategic Transport Projects Review, will produce similar benefits.

Stewart Stevenson: The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) has been published and recommends significant investment in rail throughout Scotland, including the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), rail enhancements between Inverclyde/Ayrshire and Glasgow and the West of Scotland Strategic Rail Enhancements.

  Together, these recommendations will provide significant benefits to rail travellers across Scotland, including a "step change" in cross Glasgow connectivity and will relieve the capacity constraints in central Glasgow to allow for continued growth in rail usage.

  Transport Scotland, Network Rail, First ScotRail, Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) are currently working together to develop a delivery plan for the rail enhancements package of interventions highlighted in the STPR. This work is designed to share the detailed analysis of studies produced for the STPR proposal, to explore the interactions of the Glasgow Crossrail project and the potential for a new programme of wider strategic enhancements. This will include looking at the details of the proposal such as the use of the city Union line. A Steering Group has been established to progress this work.

  The STPR reports can be found on the Transport Scotland website at

  www.transportscotland.gov.uk/stpr.

Rail Network

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to priced option 23 of the extension of the ScotRail franchise, what the marginal additional costs of changing the branding to Scottish Rail have been since the extension of the ScotRail franchise.

Stewart Stevenson: A cost of £36,102 was incurred in the development work for the initial ScotRail branded train.

  The substantive work to implement the new brand across ScotRail trains and stations will take place during routine maintenance cycles, paid through existing maintenance budgets contained within the ScotRail franchise contract. The marginal additional cost to the government is therefore nil.

Rail Network

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to priced option 23 of the extension of the ScotRail franchise, whether it has had to make any payments of a profit element consequential to paragraph 2.1 of the priced option.

Stewart Stevenson: No payments have been made to ScotRail as a consequence of paragraph 2.1 of priced option 23.

Roads

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will work with Highland Council to take forward the link route between the A82 and A9, taking account of the link route between the A9 and A96 as identified in the Strategic Transport Projects Review, and what the proposed commencement dates for the project and the cost to Highland Council will be.

Stewart Stevenson: I have agreed that there will be joint working between Highland Council and Transport Scotland on how Highland Council can take forward the A82/A9 link within the context of the Government’s commitment to the A9/A96 link. An action plan is being prepared by Highland Council and Transport Scotland to agree a partnership approach to help deliver the key outcomes of the Strategic Transport Projects Review in the Highland area.

  The commencement dates for the project and cost to Highland Council are a matter for Highland Council.

Scottish Government Staff

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18018 by John Swinney on 5 December 2008, when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth expects to provide the information requested.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the letter issued on 21 April 2009. A copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47096).

Sport

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage the development of touch rugby as a physical activity in the run-up to the 2011 world cup in Scotland.

Shona Robison: It is for the Scottish Touch Association to promote and develop the sport of touch, which includes touch rugby.

Sport

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance, advice, support and resources it is providing for the development of touch rugby in the run-up to the 2011 world cup in Scotland.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Touch Association through a partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union has access to the SRU’s development officer network. This network receives funding from sportscotland and also through the Government’s Cashback for Communities initiative.

Sport

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had or will have with Scottish Rugby Union to ensure that Scotland will have a women’s team participating at the next world cup rugby sevens competition.

Shona Robison: It is for the Scottish Rugby Union to determine whether to enter a women’s team for the next IRB World Cup sevens competition.

Tourism

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken to ascertain the number of properties in Edinburgh operating as holiday lets.

Alex Neil: There is no recent research to ascertain the number of properties operating in Edinburgh as holiday lets. However, the Edinburgh and the Lothians Visitor Accommodation Audit 2006 identified 646 self-catering properties in Edinburgh.

  The full audit report is available at the VisitScotland website at:

  http://www.visitscotland.org/about_us/local_network_offices/edinburgh_and_lothians/tourism_accommodation_audit.htm.